CREST FOREST MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COUNCIL — Striving to keep mountain highways safe

By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor

 

Over the past two months, officers from the California Highway Patrol Arrowhead Area office were involved in pursuits of vehicles traveling at more than 100 mph.

In April, Lt. Isaiah Kee told the Crest Forest Municipal Advisory Council at their June 2 meeting, they had a special enforcement unit detail on Highway 18. During the eight hours, they wrote 34 citations, one of which involved a motorcycle doing over 100 mph.

“That led to a pursuit,” Lt. Kee said. He offered his thanks to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which was waiting at the bottom of the hill. In addition, there was a helicopter following the motorcyclist so he could not outrun law enforcement. They took him into custody.

On May 30, CHP conducted a special enforcement operation on Highway 330. They wrote 38 citations and, Lt. Kee said, “caught a guy driving a Porsche over 100 mph.

“People are driving recklessly on these two-lane roads. The highway is not a racetrack and 5,000 feet is a long way to fall off the side of the mountain.” In a related Facebook post, the CHP urged motorists to “Please be smart. Be safe. Be patient.”

Lt. Kee also reported that over Memorial Day weekend they had maximum enforcement patrols during which they wrote 211 citations and made five DUI arrests. The good news about that weekend, he added, “is we had zero DUI crashes and zero fatalities.

“Ultimately our goal is traffic safety,” Lt. Kee noted.

Reporting for the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station, Lt. Jeremy Vasquez said that, in May, they responded to more than 1,500 calls for service which ranged from routine to emergency incidents requiring immediate law enforcement response.

Deputies were involved in a vehicle pursuit in what Lt. Vasquez called “typical mountain traffic.” It started at the intersection of Lake Drive and Lake Gregory Drive. After reviewing the forward-facing cameras from the deputies’ vehicles, he said that “the deputies involved did a great job.”

He also had praise for the other motorists, saying they yielded to lights and sirens, even on winding roads. “We’d like to thank the community for their awareness and ability to follow safe procedures.”

Both agencies address the upcoming July 4^th weekend and the anticipated crowds due to the 250^th anniversary of the United States.

“We are preparing for a busy holiday period,” Lt. Vasquez said. “We remain committed to working alongside our community partners to assure the safety of the community. There will be increased traffic so we urge caution.”

Lt. Kee recalled being short staffed last July 4^th so it was difficult: “I tore my hair out,” he said. But this year, “we have tons of officers. This year my hair will be just fine.”

Battalion Chief Nicolas Turner of San Bernardino County Fire said they have responded to numerous small fires. “Thankfully we were able to keep them small. We thank the public for calling them in,” the chief said.

Noting that training is a big topic for them, Chief Turner said they have been conducting driver training as “we want everyone to drive safely and carefully.” They have completed their annual wildfire training and conducted training on rescuing firefighters should they have an emergency inside a building.

With seven new firefighters in the Mountain Division, he said the community will see personnel out training – pulling hose, getting ready to respond to any emergency. And they recently completed open water rescue training so they are ready to respond to emergencies on Lake Gregory, Lake Silverwood, Lake Arrowhead and Green Valley Lake.

Chief Turner and Jason Serrano, assistant chief of the Mountain Division, attended the ribbon cutting of a state-of-the-art dispatch center in San Bernardino. It encompasses Fire, the sheriff’s department and the Office of Emergency Services in one building.

“One thing everyone’s house here has is a huge amount of stairs,” Chief Turner said. They have had stair chairs to carry patients up and down stairs but they take a lot of strength. They are purchasing four electric stair chairs which will bring patients efficiently and safely up and down stairs.

Finally, the chief urged homeowners to help them out by creating defensible space around their homes. “If you have any questions, we have the Residential Assessment Program. A crew will come out and give you advice. Let’s make a plan.”

The new playground at Lake Gregory is getting a lot of good use, reported Bill Mellinger of the Lake Gregory Community Advisory Committee. They recently tested the new floating cabanas on the lake; they will be available for rent over the July 4^th weekend. Dredging is in full force – “It’s really moving now,” Mellinger said. He noted there is a separate contract for cleaning up the catch basins. “They have filled up quite a lot. With any kind of storm, sand will end up in the lake.” That, of course, would negate some of the dredging work.

Representing Supervisor Dawn Rowe, Robin Bull reported that the county has approved a speed limit of 20 mph in school zones. New signage is scheduled to be installed beginning this summer.

The flyer announcing the reduction in school zone speed states that “school zones are among the most active pedestrian areas in our communities…. Lowering speeds in these areas helps create safer and more predictable conditions for students, parents, school staff and drivers.”